9 May 2007

GDE part Deux

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Stage Two of the Gungarhlin Drive Extension, from Gininderra Drive to Belconnen Way, is due to open tomorrow (Thursday 10th of May) at 11am. Be aware that although you will be able to go from the GDE left onto Belconnen Way into the city at this time you will not be able to turn right from Belconnen Way onto the the GDE coming from the city.

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Growling Ferret5:09 pm 11 May 07

And careful at night – I used it last night, and had to slow to a crawl to avoid the hundred or so roos crossing over the north bound lane….

I took the opportunity to use the GDE between Gininderra Drive and Belconnen Way this afternoon and am again astounded by the single lane only. WTF? Planners need a solid kick in the arse.

The intersection at Belconnen Way will be in full operation in September

those feral windscreen cleaners should sniff the opportunity and get themselves up to the carpark. One of those expresso equipped vans orta get up there as well.

I can’t believe they haven’t opened it to walk on first. THAT i was looking forward to.

The best thing about Gungahlin is that most of Canberra hasn’t twigged that it is fairly easy to do the daily commute, as long as you can completely bypass Northbourne and are prepared to dog-leg all over the place. I really pity people doing a daily grind from righ down at Tuggers…

But you have to be able to turn a blind eye to the god-awful housing being built out there these days.

I swear 90% of the Canberra building trade should be carted off to Lake George and nuked for what they are talking people into building these days (I await the plaintive cry of “we only build what the client asks for” – codswallop I say – look at some of the pitiful display homes just built in Harrison. Some great examples of design, interspersed with tripe.)

There is a classic example of how NOT to ‘design’ a house just gone up in Hillside and clearly visible from Flemington Road – a dead plain rectangular box with not even eaves to break up its pathetic-ness.

And if you leave Gungahlin at 6.30am, it’s only 15 mins! 😉

I vote for “god help Gungahlin” as a tagline. (Although it surely is more civilised out here than it used to be…)

Although sharing a city with fine upstanding citizens like LG would be a bonus I suppose. Awwww, group hugs.

I lived in Gungahlin from 1999-2001 and used to do the rat run through Ainslie to Civic and it took me 25-30 minutes back then! WTF has the new road done? Sweet FA?

This morning I left my suburb in Melbourne that’s about the same distance to the city as Gungahlin is to Civic and it took me 50 minutes to get to the CBD, and that included extensive rat-running through various suburbs (or it would have taken me more than an hour on the so-called freeway). I thought it was a pretty good run. I think I’ve adjusted. Will happily trade hardly any water for overnight lows that don’t go below zero very often in winter, thanks 😉

I’m hoping the opening will give me a smoother ride down Hayden Drive. Can take quite a while some mornings!

Growling Ferret3:48 pm 09 May 07

If you leave Gungahlin at 8, its 25-30 if you rat run through Ainslie, or 35-40 down Northbourne, and god knows how long from West Belconnen to the City these days.

You can always move back to Canberra – we might not have much water but its more than Melbourne has….

Ah, suck it up. What is it, a 25-30 minute drive still from Gungahlin into the city? Looxury!

Growling Ferret2:44 pm 09 May 07

“In the morning, most people are coming south. It’s an alternative to the 8 sets of traffic lights on Hayden Drive. “

That is true – and it may move the carpark from the Dickson end of Northbourne Avenue to Barry Drive each morning…

Agreed that single lane in incongruous for all the work, pain, time, and money.

Having said that it will run straight and fast and without stoppages (barring accidents – god help Gungahlin if there’s a major wipeout) so it’ll be more useful than it looks.

Not to mention the new bottle neck with only one lane each way on the GDE between Barton Hwy and Ginninderra Drive…

Gee I hope they finish the GDE before the Feds start the Russell overpass – if not, there will be no sane way into Belco from Tuggers. It’s already a nightmare, saved by the Monaro/Moreshead route, but the Budget proposal will stymy this route too.

It’s also worth noting that although a access road was built joining the GDE to the back of Calvary Hospital it has been closed off (big rocks placed on it)to provide an enviroment for little furry animals. It’s not like atfer going to all that trouble of building the thing we need ambulances to have better access to hospitals anyway is it? It’s not like there are beds there for anyone when they get there!

swissbignose12:14 pm 09 May 07

In the morning, most people are coming south. It’s an alternative to the 8 sets of traffic lights on Hayden Drive.

Growling Ferret12:12 pm 09 May 07

So its going to be near enough absolutely useless for 99% of all people who would want to use it to go north? Going South its only useful for those going to O’Connor/ANU/City…

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